Willowbrook

August 20th is Willowbrook's Old Home Day and admission is free--even the magnificent ride on the 1894 carousel. Judy and I will be doing a book signing there from 11-2 pm. The ride is worth the visit--the horses rock back and forth as if galloping, and the speed, if no children are on the carousel can be 5-6 mph!

Billy Laird's gravesite

A friend of mine recently visited Billy Laird's gravesite. A haunting photo of the grave and an aerial map of its location.

On Saturday, June 18th, I will be speaking at the South Portland Historical Society at 1:00 pm about "Billy Boy, The Sunday Soldier of the 17th Maine" and how his story ultimately plays out at Fort Preble (now Southern Maine Community College).

Book Signing at Willowbrook

19th Century Willowbrook Village/Museum sits in a quiet corner of Maine. It's worth a visit in and of itself, but my sister Judy, illustrator Kerry LaPointe, and I will be there on Saturday, June 25 signing copies of our children's whimsical The Galloping Horses of Willowbrook. It's a special day because you can even ride the vintage carousel! For directions, see www.willowbrookmuseum.org

The Galloping Horses of Willowbrook

Coming later this spring, The Galloping Horses of Willowbrook, is children's picture book, a creative, non-fiction whimsical. It tells the heartwarming and true story of young Ivory Fenderson who never got his first ride on his father's 1896 Armitage Herschell carousel during the years it traveled from fair to fair. Ivory was ten years old when his father, after 26 years of operation, retired the carousel and stored it in the family barn in Saco. Fifty-five years later, Ivory rediscovers the long-forgotten carousel and donates it to Willowbrook with the promise of a full restoration. The restoration took 14 years. In 1991, Ivory finally had his first ride. My sister Judy Thyng is co-author, and we are thrilled with our illustrator, Kerry LaPointe, who is finishing the last few pages.

Willowbrook and the 3rd Maine

Enjoyed a successful book signing of Billy Boy at Willowbrook, a 19th Century Village in Newfield, Maine on September 25th. Members of the 3rd Maine Regiment dazzled the crowd with demonstrations and lots of great information about camp life.

Rally for Norlands, A Civil War Reenactment Weekend

I will be selling signed copies of "Billy Boy" at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center's Second Annual “Rally for Norlands”, the largest Civil War Reenactment in Maine in recent years, on June 12 & 13, 2010. (I will be there on Saturday only). Confederate and Union military from across New England are planning to participate in the weekend living history event featuring skirmishes and battles, artillery fire, the “Town of Unity” civilian camp, farm-life living history, field music, “Sanitation Fair” with exhibits, oddities and activities from the Civil war era, traditional Saturday bean supper and contra-dance, period preacher at the Sunday church service, 1864town ball game, good food, raffles, childrens’ activities and muchmore.